Newswise — Florida Atlantic University’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center operated by FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing has received a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the Administration on Aging (AoA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for a project titled “Bridging the Gap: Providing Specialized Dementia Care & Supportive Services through Community Partnerships.” FAU’s Green Memory and Wellness Center also received an additional $100,000 from Louis and Anne Green in support of the work on this special project. The objective of this new project is to expand and adapt existing evidence-based services and supportive programs of a university-based, dementia capable system to meet identified gaps in services to targeted populations. FAU’s Green Memory and Wellness Center will work in partnership with the Palm Beach County Department of Community Services, Division of Senior Services, Artis Senior Living in Boca Raton, Fla., and Santa Ana Circle also in Boca Raton, Fla. “Our faculty are at the forefront of research and best practices in care for individuals who have Alzheimer’s disease and other related disorders,” said Marlaine Smith, Ph.D., R.N., dean and professor and Helen K. Persson Eminent Scholar in FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. “We are so proud of their many contributions and accomplishments. This grant and matching gift from Mr. and Mrs. Green is a testament to their groundbreaking work in this field, and we are most grateful for the support we have received for this project.”
María de los Ángeles Ordóñez, DNP, ARNP/GNP-BC, director of FAU’s Green Memory and Wellness Center, is the principal investigator of the grant and will work alongside Debra Hain, Ph.D., ARNP/GNP-BC, co- investigator and associate professor in FAU’s College of Nursing.
“We are so thankful to receive this important grant from the Administration on Aging and the matching gift from Mr. and Mrs. Green who have been longtime supporters of their namesake,” said Ordóñez. “This important award and matching gift will enable us to take our dementia-specific, nurse-managed model of care into medically underserved communities who are in great need of these services.”
The overall project goal is to expand access to dementia-specific, person/family-centered programs with the aim of transforming existing models of care, support, education and community outreach. Program objectives include providing and facilitating dementia-specific care coordination services for community-residing older adults with moderate to severe AD and related dementias (ADRD) living alone or with a caregiver; facilitating healthcare services that address physical, cognitive and mental health needs of homebound aging individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with or at risk of ADRD; and establishing, cultivating, and sustaining trusting relationships that encourage disclosure of caregiver needs. The project team also will develop and implement dementia-specific care “Train-the-Trainer” programs for healthcare professionals and direct care staff of individuals with ADRD and their caregivers. “We expect to develop and distribute products to enhance program marketing, outreach, and sustainability of the programs and services we will be providing,” said Hain. “The success of this program is intended to meet the critical care needs of our growing vulnerable, culturally diverse aging ADRD population.”
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States affecting 5.3 million people, and the fifth leading cause of death for those age 65 and older. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of Americans with AD and other dementias will grow each year as the size and proportion of the U.S. population age 65 and older continue to increase. In 2015, AD and other dementias cost the nation an estimated $226 billion and by 2050, these costs could rise as high as $1.1 trillion.
FAU’s College of Nursing is internationally known for its commitment to nursing as a discipline focused on nurturing the wholeness of persons and the environment through Caring. The College advances Caring knowledge through education, practice, research and scholarship to transform care locally, nationally and globally. Currently, the College of Nursing offers bachelor’s, master’s, DNP and Ph.D. degree programs with approximately 1,600 nursing students enrolled in its programs. For more information, visit www.nursing.fau.edu.
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About the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center:The Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center, which opened in November 2001 with a start-up grant from the National Institutes of Health and Administration on Aging, is a unique center of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and is grounded in the College's concept of caring. The Center moved into its new building in December 2004. Funding for the facility came from a very generous gift from Louis and Anne Green, which was matched by the State of Florida. The building was specifically designed to house a diagnostic clinic, a dementia-specific adult day center, counseling and educational activities and research activities. The Center’s mission is to meet the complex needs of persons with memory disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, and their families through a comprehensive array of services, compassionate and innovative programs of care, research and education. The intention of the Center is to treat each person with dignity and respect, enabling each client to function at his or her personal best and to maximize quality of life. In addition to service, the Center conducts research on best practices in care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders and caregiver support. The Center also provides practicum experiences for students of nursing, medicine, social work, exercise science, communication disorders, health administration and other disciplines.
About Florida Atlantic University:Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
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